How would you feel if your DM introduced the classic Sesame Street Bridgekeeper as a minor recurring antagonist in your games?
Quotes:
"STOP! I AM THE BRIDGEKEEPER. *thunderclap* Anyone crossing by my border must do EXACTLY as I order."
"NO ONE crosses this bridge by me unless they can answer my questions three."
"To cross the bridge is completely free, but you must play a tune to pass by me."
"Any shape like a circle you carry today must be eaten... or thrown away."
>"Any shape like a circle you carry today must be eaten... or thrown away."
>looks at saucer grenade
>looks at Bridgekeeper
>looks at saucer greande
>looks at Bridgekeeper
>...
>primes saucer grenade
You gave me an idea for a plot hook:
>The party is a group of Evil characters who have meddled in the affairs of the just for the last time.
>Just when they believed they were on the verge of conquering the world, the calvary arrived and beat their asses, Death claiming their long-overdue souls.
>And he is pissed, so much so that he's not willing to take deals.
>They are given a series of trials by Death, separated by impassable trenches.
>Once the characters have fought to the next bridge across, Death gives them each one requirement they must uphold in their next trial or face a permanent debuff corresponding to their crime.
>For imposing cruelty on others in life, the party must face cruel punishment and temptation in death.
>Defy Death three times and the next time you will not be able to cross the bridge, stranding you eternally in hellish loneliness and silence.
>NO ONE crosses this bridge by me
>NO ONE
Entire party crosses at once.
>Borderlands-based campaign
>playing a gunzerker with a backpackful of rocket launchers
>literally all of his weapons are explosive-based save for a revolver and a sharpened skag jaw he hits people with
>his entire schtick is trying to find something that can stand up to being force-fed enough rockets and explosive rifle rounds to be a challenge
It ends extremely badly for him.
>the bridge collapses over the weight of the full-plate mail paladin and the mandatory donkey packed with equipment.
>blow up bridge
>GM reminds you that you were trying to cross the bridge but now you can't
>Go on Veeky Forums and complain about GM railroading
> Street sammy orc
"Well, I suppose if you take out the brim, my hat resembles a circle somewhat, but I sure as hell ain't eatin' it, that expression be damned. Eh, needed a new one anyway."
> proceeds to toss his hat and pass by the Bridgekeeper while whistling a shitty rendition of "Black Magic Woman"
>not using Tenser's Floating Disc
1st level wizards have to be used for something
Circular objects have to be thrown away user. Or eaten.
I did what must be done.
I'm imagining a wizard crying will eating a floating dics.
>be pic related
>FUCK
>bag of coins
Can't I just kill him and be done with this.
Way to be uncreative. Literally just throw it to the other side of the bridge, and pick it up once you cross.
He said throw it away, not throw it away without retrieving it later.
what system are you using?
If I did this, I would include a few other nearby, obvious bridges that seem to lead in roughly the same direction as the bridgekeeper's. Only way to guarantee they'll definitely want to use his bridge.
If a bridge can't take that much weight, then it was too risky to cross in the first place. You should have described it better, GM.
>Sack of coins soars across the bridge
>It strikes something in the tall grass beyond
>A goblin hops out, clearly irritated
>It nabs your coins and flees into a large burrow
And now he has to chase down his money in a goblin town, far underground. (Ho ho, my lad)
Free experience.
>high level character
>3xp per gob
More like a waste of gotdang time, Bobby.
I like that.
I like the small funny challenges every now and then that can only be conquered by accepting fate and goiong on witth the flow of the moment, like a witch suddenly deciding she wants to participate in (and win!) the grand ball and wants the group's paladin to be her couple or she'll turn everybody into frogs forever and after all the ordeal she turns out to be an actually nice and caring person who was feeling really lonely.
Just means we'll have to kill a lot of them.
Sadly, considering that she is a witch, my group would almost certainly attack her once she openly threatened to hex us. Unless we had good reason to hesitate.
Can't let an aggressive powerful witch wander around. That's how it starts. Before you know it you've got cursed royalty, a summoned demon and 7 years of the coldflame snow.
Some Apocalypse/Dungeon World hack, look up "No Rest"
I'll just flood the entire cavern system and my coins will float on top!
>Before you know it you've got cursed royalty, a summoned demon and 7 years of the coldflame snow
So that's where Russia comes from, they didn't kill the witches
The first guy does the stupid challenge and crosses the bridge, taking one end of a rope with him. Once he's on the other side, we move the rope along and start building a second bridge just far enough away that he can't cover both of them.